Candles
by chishiki
Summary: Sakura hates passing by dark places in the way back home. Intending to fight her fears, she decides to pass through the shadows. Then something changes and she finds herself looking at a strange boy who keeps telling her to thank him. Weird? Just a bit.


**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

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****Candles**

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The little girl had always been afraid of passing by dark places in the way back home because of some weird demon story that a mean boy told her class once. But that street's lights hadn't been working for a very long time, and even though Sakura was afraid of crossing the dark, she just _would_ go to the playground to play with friends after school.

Some days ago, knowing her own weakness, she said bye to her violet-eyed friend earlier than normal and came back home before the sunset. That day, though, Hina-chan had told her a very cute story about a blue-eyed boy, with spiky blond hair and something involving a kiss and an onigiri and she really forgot her self-imposed curfew.

Sakura stopped exactly where the lights of the last corner ended and stared at the place in the street where that light couldn't reach. Biting her pink lower lip, she suddenly made her mind: she _would_ fight her fear. After all, Hina-chan would have many more interesting stories to tell, and she couldn't interrupt her dear friend neither be afraid of going home.

And come on: night demons would attack just bad people, and Sakura knew she was a very nice girl.

Almost.

Sakura frowned. "I'm seven years old already", she told herself, and feeling very brave, she gazed at the spot where the lights weakly shined and started walking although it seemed to be much further than where it really was. But the damn lights started to blink even more when she was halfway, and Sakura stopped to sadly watch them fade.

She almost died when a shadow appeared out of nowhere, shutting her mouth and stopping her screams before she could do anything.

"Have you ever heard about night demons, girl?" said a low voice.

Sakura couldn't have answered even if she wanted, paralyzed and scared to death of that sudden _apparition_. After sort of five seconds, the shadow released Sakura and they withdrawn to opposites sides of the dark street.

Sakura couldn't see the shadow's face, but she knew she was stronger than a normal seven-year-old girl, and raising her fists, she frowned angrily and told herself she was going to kick some asses.

"If there's an ass to be kicked", she thought, and put some more distance between them.

The shadow suddenly made a large gesture and Sakura, with her fists risen, saw the boy beneath the black cape, holding a lighten match and it's case.

She had never felt so idiot.

The boy stared at her with his pretty black eyes and a frown.

"You may consider yourself lucky because I am here" he said.

Sakura rearranged her skirt almost shyly, but actually she was pretty angry: at the demon-night-boy and at herself for being so idiot.

"And why would I do that?" she replied without caring if she was being rude.

But a breeze made the boy's match blew out and Sakura patiently waited for him to lighten another. He approached Sakura and she could see that he was studying her face with very serious black eyes.

"Because I have the candles."

"No, you don't. You just have those stupid matches."

Sakura snorted when the boy's match blew out again.

"Let's stop staying here in the dark like two idiots", said Sakura quickly, before the boy lightened another match that would just blow out again. "Let's go to where the lights are better."

"I'm recalling that you were the scared one, shaking in the corner afraid of the dark", said the boy rudely, but following Sakura anyway.

Ignoring him, Sakura could finally see the boy's face. He was black-eyed and black-haired, and with the cape (black as well) and his white skin, she could have easily thought he was one of those gothic punks or a... Vampire.

"What's your name?" she asked.

"Uchiha Sasuke" the boy answered, seeming very proud of his own name.

"Haruno Sakura" said the girl with a smirk. "Do you always surprise people in the dark like that?"

That Sasuke boy didn't seem to consider that a joke.

"Yeah, because I have to help them if _something_ shows up."

Sasuke looked so serious while he was saying that that Sakura discreetly took some steps behind. She bowed her head aside and examined him again. He seemed very interesting.

Sasuke was starting to feel very uncomfortable under that weird girl's green gaze.

"And what would you have done if a night demon had appeared?" Sakura couldn't help but ask.

"That's obvious."

"No, it's not."

Sasuke sighed.

"I would have illuminated everything" said Sasuke and his eyes shined. Later, Sakura would understand that he was very proud of what he was saying. If the way he looked meant something.

"With a match?" Sakura laughed.

"No, you moron" Sasuke said almost angrily. Sakura narrowed her eyes, but let him continue. "With a candle."

Sasuke took two candles out of his lateral pocket. A green one and an orange one, and they were pretty big. Sakura, thinking that the situation couldn't get more weird, wanted to get closer to check over them but Sasuke quickly put them back on his pocket.

He clearly cared very much about his candles.

"You can't touch them. They must be purified in the need of use."

Sakura stood still for some seconds.

"I think you take your jokes way too seriously" she said slowly, not wanting to finish with the boy's lunatic fantasies. "Night demons show up in the dark, so any candle would do, Sasuke."

Sasuke pointed a threatening finger.

"It's Uchiha for you, Haruno."

Sakura frowned, but before she could reply, a water drop fell down on her nose. She looked up and didn't see the stars in the sky. The heavy clouds had hidden them.

"It's raining" said Sasuke slowly. "Let's go under somewhere, because I won't be able to light my candles in the rain if something happens."

Sakura gazed at him weirdly, and while they ran to the covered sidewalk of someone's house, she decided to be frank with that boy ant tell him what was going on her mind.

"I don't think night demons exist."

Sasuke stared at her skeptically with his pretty black eyes.

"I think the one who was afraid of crossing the dark over there was you. Someone must have told you some ghost story for you to have hesitated."

Sakura didn't know exactly the meaning of 'hesitated', but she wouldn't let Sasuke found that out.

"If you know so much about... hesitating... people... Why did you ask me if I had ever heard about night demons?"

Sasuke smiled with his thin lips and Sakura, although she was seven, was starting to think that Sasuke was way too... Good-looking. She knew she was blushing, but whatever.

"I just wanted to freak you out."

Sakura snored, and a pink bang covered her eyes.

Sasuke observed her while she was putting the bang behind an ear like he was waiting for something. When Sakura just stared at him blankly, he knew he had to _explain_. He snorted too, putting the matches' case in a pocket and throwing the blown match in the street.

"Are you going to thank me or not?"

Sakura's eyebrows rose.

"Thank you because of what?"

"I helped you to get out of the dark" said Sasuke slowly. "If I hadn't appeared, what would you have done, Haruno?"

"I would have crossed the street, of course. That's obvious."

"But in that street, there was _indeed_ a night demon", said Sasuke, pointing at the street. "I shouldn't tell you that, but you are the most headstrong person I have ever met in my life, so I'll tell you anyway."

Sasuke opened his arms dramatically.

Sakura waited.

"I'm a guardian."

Silence.

"You take your jokes way too seriously, Uchiha... Be careful. Someone could intern you."

Sasuke sighed, almost giving up.

"I'll show ya."

He patiently took the green candle out of his pocket again and put it on the street, ignoring the rain that had become quite stronger. He quickly lightened the candle, retreated and made another of his weird gestures with the hands. After that, he reached and grabbed Sakura's hand, but she was too distracted to notice that.

Suddenly, the candle exploded.

Thrown in the air like a rocket, the candle turned into several colorful particles. Green, blue, red, purple; all of it way too bright. Open mouthed, Sakura watched a dragon made of smoke appear in the middle of the particles. It seemed to appear and disappear, searching for an enemy to defeat.

The dragon didn't find anything or anyone, though. It snorted, and smoke came out of its nose. Sakura squeezed Sasuke's hand while he was making seals with his free one. The girl tried to see the dragon's eyes, but all she could see was an indistinct red light. It floated majestically, gradually getting closer to the street. Sakura thought it was entering in the candle again, which blew out and fell down in the street.

Just like that.

Sakura was breath taken, open mouthed. Sasuke, satisfied with the effect he had caused, let go of Sakura's hand and grabbed the candle fallen in the street. They vaguely realized the rain had stopped.

"Now I want you to thank me. I need to go home."

Sakura dried some drool on her chin.

"I believe you now, but I have so much to ask!" It was her turn to make large and weird gestures. "What do you guard? Won't you get harmed if you use these candles like you're drinking water? And why do I have to thank you before you go home?"

Sasuke looked at her like he was never going to answer those questions. What he said was:

"I need you to thank me because when the guarded thanks, the guardian has his or her duty accomplished. And my methods are secret. Just the fact that I showed you that was already a violation."

Sakura told herself she _was_ going to remember that no matter what.

"Are you my guardian angel?" she asked, eyes shining.

Sasuke felt like grabbing her by her shoulders and shaking her, but he just crossed his arms on his back, trying to contain these instincts.

"No." That was the cold answer that Sakura received. "I guard _everyone _and I'm far of being an angel. Thank me."

Sakura sighed.

"Am I going to see you again?"

"I don't know. Thank me."

"Show up around here."

"Sure. Thank me; I need to go to the bathroom."

Sakura sighed again.

"Bye" she said, but she missed him already.

Sasuke was still was still in the middle of the street. The rain drops wet his black cape. He seemed to look her in the eyes.

"Bye."

Sakura closed her eyes, knowing in the bottom of her heart that when she opened them again, Sasuke wouldn't be there anymore.

"Thank you, Sasuke."

The little girl felt two hands covering her closed eyes and, feeling like she was saying goodbye to a dear old friend and not to a weird boy she had just met, she heard a whisper.

"You're welcome, Sakura."

And then all went black and Sakura forgot everything that had happened.

Like magic.

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From a considerable distance, Sasuke watched the pink-haired girl wake up and get up slowly. He would get scolded and everything, but that had been worthy.

He felt almost guilty because he remembered everything and that weird girl didn't, but he kept that aside when he remembered the feeling of holding hands with her. Blushing a bit, he told himself he did that so that she could see the dragon.

Sasuke watched she go away.

She would surely need his help: she was kinda silly. There was a night demon just by her side and she really hadn't noticed that.

With that thought, the boy fused with the shadows and finally went home. After all, he received his 'thank you'. Otherwise, he really couldn't have gone. Next time, he would threaten her.

They _would_ meet again.

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**A/N**: Hey, you! Okay, that's my first story in English [real English, with cool vocabulary and stuff], so if there's any mistake or something I would like you to tell me, please. ^^"

I'll just explain some things. 1. The candle had to be purified because a night demon isn't something easy to defeat with a non-purified candle and 2. Sasuke needs his 'thank you' because the guardians job kinda just are worthy if they receive their thanking and stuff _and_ 3. This is an AU story, so Sasuke has his parents and he's not emo.

I really hope you like it [but I hope even more I wrote everything right, xD].

xxx


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